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8/30/13

I love a good deal, possibly more than anyone else I know, so I wanted to make sure I shared some of the best Labor Day Weekend deals and coupon codes with you all! Above are a few of my favorite items from the great sales going on. My very favorite sale happening right now is probably the one at Banana Republic...I mean, how adorable is that giraffe sweater?!

8/29/13

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you probably know about my slight nail polish addiction. And if you're new around here, now you know a random little fact about me! I have developed quite the collection...and owning a lot of these little bottles requires somewhere to put them. I have searched the internet and was able to come up with 12 options for nail polish storage and organization. Not only are these ideas functional, but they are also great ways to display your pretty and colorful nail polish collections!

1. I guess I will start off with my own nail polish rack, which I made with the help of my Dad. This is what I currently use to display my collection, but unfortunately I didn't make it big enough. I would need at least two of these now...so I guess it might be time to build another one! You can see the full post here.

2. I love this cake stand nail polish display, put together by Design Eur Life. This is the perfect option for someone who has a smaller collection, but still wants to make it look nice. These cake stands are from the Martha Stewart Collection at Macy's. I think these cake stands are perfect and I might have to order them, even if I don't end up using them for nail polish!

3. A jar or vase is another option for anyone who has a smaller number of bottles to store. I love how Belinda Selene displayed her nail polish in a glass jar on her dresser. I think this Target apothecary jar would work great for this purpose!

4. I'm really excited about this DIY project from This Mom's Gonna Snap. I've seen these IKEA spice racks used so many ways (I've been wanting to get some to use as bookshelves in my kids' rooms), but I love how perfect they are for holding nail polish! Just paint them whatever color you want and voilà...easy nail polish rack!

6. Shoe Organizers aren't only for shoes...sometimes you have to think outside the box, just like Next On Tiff's List did. This hanging display makes it simple to sort your nail polish by color, so you can easily find what you are looking for next time you need to paint your nails! These organizers are only $15 at Bed Bath & Beyond (if you were to use one of their coupons it would be even less).

7. Another easy option is this acrylic nail polish stand, which holds 50 bottles. If you have space on a dresser or counter, I think this would look amazing. The different levels make it easy to organize, as well as access the polish.

8. If you have a lot of lacquer, but don't want to deal with organizing it on a shelf...how about a tray? Just Love.ly used a cute wooden tray with dividers to store her nail polish. I like this because it makes it easy to see what you have, but also easy to put away if you decide you don't want your collection out on display anymore. If you don't have a tray, you could use a drawer organizer that would serve the same purpose.

9. How fun is this DIY spinning nail polish display by Life Ann Style?! These stands are absolutely gorgeous and I love that you can rotate them to find exactly what you are looking for. I'm not sure if I like the silver or the glass better...both are lovely!

10. Perhaps you have an old wooden spice rack collecting dust in your attic? If not, I'm sure you could check out a few garage sales and find one that would work. I love the fun green color The Speckled Dog painted this rack that she already had in her stash. Gotta love the power of a little spray paint!

11. Here is a wonderful acrylic nail polish rack that will make your room feel a little bit like a nail salon, but without the bad smell (am I the only one who hates that smell?). It's lightweight and fits around 80-90 bottles. Unlike my DIY rack, this doesn't require any cutting, drilling, or painting...so that's a plus!

12. The final nail polish display option I want to share with you is this DIY hanging wire shelf, created by Mad in Crafts. It was made for craft paint, but is also the right size for nail polish! I love the visual effect it has when placed on the wall.

Well, there you have it folks...12 pretty ways to display your nail polish. So what are you waiting for? Go organize that lacquer!

8/26/13

I've collaborated with a group of fabulous bloggers to bring FOUR very lucky readers a chance to win $250 USD each! We hope this will help you get a head start on adding some fantastic Fall items into your closet!

Here's how it works: To enter, use the Rafflecopter widget below. Each entry will give you points. The more points you earn, the closer you are to winning this awesome prize! After completing all of the mandatory entries, it will unlock some additional entry options...bringing you one step closer to winning! The #FallStyle Giveaway will run from 8/26 - 9/2. This giveaway is open to participants worldwide! The winners will be announced via Rafflecopter and contacted through email.

* International readers are welcome to enter as well. Giveaway will end at midnight PST.

Are you as excited as I am?! Get ready for a lot of new blog reading material, because these ladies are all amazing and I'm sure you will become obsessed with each of them like I have. Ok, time to get busy entering the giveaway and dreaming of how you would spend that money!

Fall nail polish is my favorite, because I love deep jewel tones and dark shimmery colors. The new Fall 2013 collection from Jessica, called A Night at the Opera, certainly doesn't disappoint. Here are the 6 beautiful colors:

Overture

Opening Night

Prima Donna

Standing Ovation

Blue Aria

Velvet & Pearls

The best part? I only used ONE coat in every single one of these pictures...I LOVE one coat polish! Such a time saver. I would do another coat if I was leaving it on my nails for a while, just for extra durability, but you could definitely get away with a single coat.

I love the black creme. You might think that black nail polish is all the same, but to me this is the perfect shade of black! The dark blue creme looks like it could be black, but once you go outside you can see the hint of blue. It's nice, but I would prefer to see the blue a little more. I love each of the four shimmery colors! My favorite is probably the green (with a tint of blue)...it's such a great color in person and perfect for Fall!

8/25/13

Remember that one time when blazers were just something you would wear to work, in order to make your outfit more business-like? Yeah, those days are long gone...now you can wear a blazer with almost anything. Today they come in so many great colors and patterns, as you can see from the cute outfits above! These are a few of my favorites from last week's link-up.

2. Grab a button and add it to your post (a text link is also fine). Note: if you don't link back to me, I can't feature you!

3. Comment on this post and someone else's post...the whole point is to visit each other.
4. Follow my blog, so you can be reminded to link up next time!

Also,
I would really appreciate if you would vote for me in the Wallis Fashion contest. Today is the last day to vote! You can vote once each hour until midnight on August 26th. Thank you so much for all of the support so far. I can't believe I have over 1100 votes...it makes me so happy inside! As a reminder, if I win I will be donating 5 cents for each vote received from 8/18-8/26 to cancer research (read more about why here) and I'm really hoping to make that donation a big one. (Don't worry, I will still be donating to this important cause, even if I don't win)!

8/22/13

Autumn is easily my favorite season. When I was asked by Wallis to style this green top for both Summer and Fall, as part of their blogger contest, I was thrilled! If you didn't already see how I styled the shirt for Summer, you can view that here. I've had my Fall outfit planned out for a while now, so yesterday I was excited to get dressed and head outside to take pictures...but GOOD GRIEF, it was HOT outside! So, in all reality, this outfit only stayed on for about an hour. But, I'll definitely be repeating this combination once the weather cools down!

I love how versatile the green Wallis top is. It can be worn by itself over a pair of jeans, shorts, or a skirt in the Summer. For Fall, all you have to do is throw on another layer for extra warmth! I chose to add this purple cardigan, mostly because I love both of these colors with my red hair. The shirt would also look great with a blazer or leather jacket on top! Then, I put on a pair of ankle boots (a MUST HAVE for Fall, in my opinion) and a fun leopard print belt.

I would love if you would take a moment and vote for me to win a trip to New York Fashion Week with Wallis. I have been so amazed by all the support I have received so far and I'm so happy to still be in the top 5! As a reminder, if I win the contest I will be donating 5 cents to Cancer Research for EVERY VOTE I receive from 8/18-8/26. You can read more about why I made the decision to do so in this post. Please help me out by voting and hopefully you will also be helping to make a difference at the same time! I will be donating either way, but I want to make the donation as big as possible (If you'd like to make a monetary contribution to go toward my donation just e-mail me). I really want to use this opportunity to help others, because I feel so lucky to be a part of this competition and I would feel so blessed to be able to experience Fashion Week in NYC. You can vote ONCE AN HOUR through August 26th. I appreciate all of you so very much!

P.S. I finally learned how to do a fishtail braid! This is my first try, so it isn't amazing, but I kind of like the messy look of it!

8/21/13

There are a lot of trends that I hate at first, but slowly warm up to. Then, by the time I actually start to like it...it's over and done. I think the denim on denim trend is still going strong, but it's definitely one of those that I just wasn't a fan of at first. However, the look has grown on me and I finally decided to hop on that bandwagon.

I love my new Henry & Belle jeans from PB&J Boutique...they hug my legs just right and I think the dark bottoms look great paired with this light chambray shirt. Sometimes I wonder how I lived without a denim top (that's another item that took me a while to grow fond of)!

8/18/13

Before I get to the link-up, I have something really important to share with you today. I feel like I have been so blessed by the opportunity to be a part of the Wallis Fashion contest and I have been overwhelmed by the support from all of you readers, as well as my friends and family. I wanted to come up with a way that I could return the good karma. Giveaways are fun, but making a difference is even better! Here is what I decided to do:

If I win the trip to New York Fashion Week, I will be donating 5 cents for every single vote I receive from now until the contest ends (Midnight EST on August 26th) to a very important cause that is close to my heart: Cancer Research.

Growing up, I watched as my Grandma passed away from lung cancer. I had a good friend from high school lose her fight with brain cancer and another close friend go through chemo while battling lymphoma (he is currently cancer-free). Right now my friend's Mom is going through radiation. Cancer affects so many people, it's ridiculous. But it didn't fully hit me until my own Mom was diagnosed with uterine cancer a couple years ago. Luckily she was able to have it surgically removed (and is now cancer-free!), but it made me realize just how much I hate this stupid disease. Sure, there are ways to lower your risk of developing cancer, such as living a healthy lifestyle, but no one is completely exempt from it. Science has come so far in recent years, but there is still so much research to be done.

I hope you will help me fight against Cancer! I will already be making a donation in honor of my Grandma. However, I would like to make that donation even larger! So, if I win this competition, I will also be donating 5 cents for each vote I receive from now until the contest ends. That's $25 if I get 500 votes, $50 if I get 1,000 votes, $100 if I get 2,000 votes, and so on...and remember you can vote once an hour through the 26th! After exploring a lot of options, I decided on donating to the Stand Up To Cancer charity. I chose them because 100% of the donations received go straight to cancer research. Also, if anyone would like to make a monetary contribution, just e-mail me and I will add it to the donation. Thank you so much for your support and please know that I appreciate all of you so much!

Ok, now on to the Sunday Style link-up! Last week had over 100 great outfits and I loved looking through all of them. I can't wait to see what you have been wearing lately and next week I will get back to posting some of my favorite looks! As always, here are the rules: